Mapin books are jointly published and distributed in the US, UK and Europe through our US-based partner, Grantha Corporation. All Mapin books carry a Grantha ISBN for the ease of ordering through our respective distributors in this region. Customers in the regions mentioned above should use the Grantha ISBN for reference while looking for our books in bookstores, online stores and libraries.

Mohan Samant (1924–2004), among the earliest of the post-Independence modern Indian artists to train in India and settle as a successful mature artist in the West, has been called “one of the few artists who has successfully made the bridge between Eastern and Western traditions.” Born in Mumbai, India, Samant received his diploma from the Sir JJ School of Art in 1952. That year he joined the Progressive Artists Group. Extended periods abroad—1957–58 in Rome and travel in Europe and Egypt, 1959–64 in New York City—preceded his leaving permanently for New York in 1968, where he lived until his death in 2004.

This volume, the definitive work on the artist, presents a comprehensive overview of Samant’s life and work, and includes essays on his place in the development of modernism in post-Independence India, a chronological survey of the styles, techniques, and themes employed by the artist and analyses of the media and techniques he utilized.

Published in association with Abraham Joel, New York, and Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai.

About the Authors

Ranjit Hoskote is a cultural theorist, poet, and curator. He has authored books of poetry, art criticism, and cultural history, including The Crucible of Painting: The Art of Jehangir Sabavala (2005), The Dialogues Series (with Nancy Adajania; 2011), and Confluences (2012).

Marcella Sirhandi is an art historian and curator. She is professor emerita, Oklahoma State University. Her publications include Jamini Roy: Bengali Artist of Modern India (1887–1972); Antonio Xavier Trindade: An Indian Painter from Portuguese Goa; and Modern Indian Works on Paper: The Collection of Umesh Gaur.

Jeffrey Wechsler, former senior curator of the Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University, is the author of numerous publications, including Asian Traditions, Modern Expressions: Asian American Artists and Abstraction, 1945–1970; Surrealism and American Art, 1932–1949; and Vanguard American Sculpture, 1913–1939.

Praise

“The comprehensive two-volume publication offers exploration of the artist’s styles and techniques, the themes and subjects in his paintings and his process — the latter examined through X-ray imaging of several of his works.”